Karen
Jan Wildeboer 😷
Decentralisation is the biggest enemy of authoritarianism. So #SelfHost. Buy solar and batteries. Heat pumps. Get an electric car. Electric bicycles. Use #OpenSource and #FreeSoftware. Store your data at home. Get a Canon Selphy to print the pictures you take. Buy books. Vinyl or CDs. Join your local library. Do. Don’t discuss. And help your neighbours to do the same things. Sharing is caring. Avoid getting lost in discussions about what’s best. Do. Fail. Share. Learn. Repeat. 1/4
You’re here on Mastodon/ActivityPub reading this message. That makes you part of the galaxy. Now move more friends and family to this galaxy. It won’t be easy. But it’s worth it. We might need these hidden networks. These cells. Things are changing fast. But we have the tools and solutions we need. Do. Don’t discuss. Good night! 2/4
Avoid the “yes, but” and fundamentalist crowd. Yes, many things you can buy are centralised through cloud services. Alternatives are not always available. Let’s work on that. Not through infighting and purity tests. But in pragmatic ways. Building solutions. Together. In the open. With patience and persistence. Deal? 3/4
To clarify: this is NOT doomsday style prepping. The aim here is to create sustainable infrastructure that is decentralised and resilient, a common good approach, based on Open Source and Open Standards. Building positive alternatives that people can use. Attractive enough to leave the centralised solutions and their owners behind, not out of spite, but by simply being better. No ideology except "share, fail, repeat, progress" 4/4
ElWollito 
@jwildeboer I think it is prepping, but in the best possible way.
The Swedes also have a very good approach to it:
https://preppatillsammans.se/index-eng.html
The Swedes also have a very good approach to it:
https://preppatillsammans.se/index-eng.html
Uwe Küchler@jwildeboer I must admit that, in parts, I do it out of spite as well.
Nevertheless, independence from surveillance capitalism and #e14n -prone platforms that happily cave in to autocrats is priority no. 1.
@oraculix My experience is that being AGAINST something, out of spite, costs me energy and worsens my mood. So I have decided to instead work on solutions, ignoring what I try to replace as much as I can. That gives me a positive mood and more energy to work on the next thing :)
@jwildeboer THIS. I couldn't agree more, that's why I self-host, operate photovoltaics and joined the Fediverse. Not *against* but *for* something.
So let me rephrase my provocative sentence to something like: With said priorities, it also feels great to be independent from platforms or companies that I despise. And, in the best case, help others to gain some more independence.
So let me rephrase my provocative sentence to something like: With said priorities, it also feels great to be independent from platforms or companies that I despise. And, in the best case, help others to gain some more independence.
The Penguin of Evil@jwildeboer It's also doomsday prepping which is a nice overlap.
The prepping things get a bad reputation from the bug out gun nuts who a month after a disaster that lasted that long would simply be high value loot drops but for most if it is really really about social groups - sharing resources, pooling knowledge and equipment, having ways to keep each other going until aid arrives or long term.
It's why I grow potatoes, know how to build solar systems and own hydraulic crimpers 8)
Knut 🏳️🌈 🇳🇴🧸@jwildeboer Solarpunk tech is so fun. I want to get into Meshtastic and little Raspberries that grow like flowers. I saw someone 3d print a plastic tree with solar panels for raspi zeros to grow on.
Alberto Cottica
@jwildeboer I always remark that 'Yes. but' is equal to 'No.'
LogicalErzor@jwildeboer thats why im somewhat ok with meta’s thread federating with the fediverse
dont get me wrong, meta sucks. but when meta inevitably fucks up again, itll be easy for people to switch to other activitypub servers, unlike bluesky which is just bluesky
i also prefer a protocol backed by the folks who created the internet rather than a protocol backed by venture capitalists
baby steps :)
W. Latif Ayubi 🏴☠️@jwildeboer I'm here to get away from my friends and family, but I agree with you.
Larvitz 
@jwildeboer I founded the German Mastodon Instance burningboard.net together with a friend on the same domain, where we’ve previously been running a bulletin board since 2002.
As with the bulletin board before, we primarily aim for a tech / open source audience, but we’re open for anyone, who’s polite and respecting the rules as an inclusive community.
We’re open for registration and I’ve built a landing page at https://burningboard.net where the Fediverse is being explained and Tipps for newcomers are presented and I advertise the instance where it makes sense.
We might just have a few hundred users, but I run this service with passion and as a long-term project to promote decentralized social media!
Capybara 
@jwildeboer @jwildeboer I selfhost everything I can. E-Mail, File sync, Git forge, websites, Matrix and much more. My own Mailserver is maintained for more than 20 years already.
For the other points: Heatpumps and solar unfortunately fails because of my landlord.
And for transportation, I prefer the "no car at all" approach and am a happy Deutsche Bahn customer and eBike user 🚆
SpaceLifeFormAvoid spending money on large corporations. Try to buy local as much as possible. Do not help fascist corporations. They only care about money.
Lett Osprey 
🍉 
@SpaceLifeForm
We have a setup where you can order locally produced food from farmers, bakers, etc. It is very popular, with groups spread all over the country.
I can't use them, because I am not on Facebook.
The irony of this is painful.
@jwildeboer
Anders von Hadern 🐦🔥@jwildeboer Bicycles even do not need to be electric - they are even more decentralized without battery - such great technology <3
@jwildeboer ... Store your data at your home. And at a friend's place.
The apartment under ours burned a couple of weeks ago. Reminder of how important off site backup is Ovao
@jwildeboer also learn to use tools like PGP/GnuPG (or kleopatra for a GUI), the Tor browser, and E2EE apps like Signal, for secure communations
@jwildeboer I'm a novice (or worse) at self hosting. How do I start?
HawtP0tat0Dust off that old laptop/desktop you have laying around, install Ubuntu or Debian on it, install docker, google 'what docker self hosting projects can I run' and pick things that have easy setups like nextcloud. Docker isn't required but I find it easier to compartmentalize. Eventually graduate to VPS (virtual private (cloud) servers) and host mailcow or pangolin.
Hendrik WeimerTo get started with self-hosting, I'd recommend buying a Raspberry Pi. Tinker around with it and learn how to backup (and, more importantly, restore!) your data. Start with some simple services like serving files in your home network or running a calendar server. Grow the number of self-hosted services step by step.
Only start running services on the open Internet once you feel comfortable doing so.
Puckcalling Charlie Kirk a bozo is labeled as hate speech, lmao.
@jwildeboer I'm already on there list. lmao
Farhan Ahmed@jwildeboer I have been wanting to this for the longest time; but everything around self-hosting seems fairly complex to me (and I’m in the tech industry). I recently bought a Synology NAS and it has the capability for running an email server, DNS, calendar, contacts, etc. I’m also looking spin up my own Mastodon/ActivityPub instance this way.
Would this is a simpler way of going about self hosting?
Art - US Expat in Spain@jwildeboer and use credit unions over banks.
Alvan 🇵🇸 
@jwildeboer well said. Thank you.
This also excuses my vinyl addiction, LOL 🙏
CreatorDon@jwildeboer new to all this. Shadow banned on FB and G o o g l e hijacked my email address.
Thoughts on Proton mail? Telegram?
Thank you all for sharing your insight and experience!
Us newbs have a lot of learning to do
@iveyline@jwildeboer Probably about 50% of the way there. Have solar power, raintank water, a hybrid car, store all my data offline. Am partly open source. Walk rather than bike. Grow much of our own fruit and veges. Support farmer's markets and small local businesses as much as possible. It's a start!
SlightlyCyberpunk@jwildeboer OK, I was with you until the random advertisement for Canon. Went to their website to see if there was something truly spectacular about these printers and I'm instantly greeted with the typical allow/deny cookies bullshit...except they just have unlabeled sliders that move left/right but with ZERO indication of which way is on and which way is off. Which is probably the intention. Lovely UI there. And from the specs this particular multi-billion dollar company sure doesn't seem better than any other printer/printing service...and the footnotes indicate that it requires a proprietary app and a constant connection to their website which is surely for some kind of surveillance, and it says without that surveillance it will print with reduced quality and longevity...sorry but I really don't get the reason for that ad, man...
CaveDave@jwildeboer what about a regular non-electric bicycle?
Just Joshin@jwildeboer
The only thing that I question in your list is the electric car. Right now, electric cars are closed source computers that the user has little control over. I would prefer to not have an always connected internet device with cameras and microphones that I cannot control.
I drive a 25 year old jeep because it has no cameras, no microphones, and no gps.
The only thing that I question in your list is the electric car. Right now, electric cars are closed source computers that the user has little control over. I would prefer to not have an always connected internet device with cameras and microphones that I cannot control.
I drive a 25 year old jeep because it has no cameras, no microphones, and no gps.
yasun@jwildeboer
Absolutely! These posts of you motivate me in the best way: They cheer me up, show me I'm not alone, propose what I can actually do and get me thinking and plotting. Thank you!
ity [unit X-69] - VIOLENT FUCK@jwildeboer okay where do I buy an electric car with free software 
I agree with the message. But I am sorry to say, electric cars have become a vehicle of authoritarianism (pun intended)
Delta Chat is a good decentralized messenger and Chatmail relays can optionally be self-hosted.
MidgePhoto@jwildeboer
Contemplate mesh networks in addition to fibre.
But talk to your neighbours, share compost and vegetables now in case of needing to share much more one day.
Contemplate mesh networks in addition to fibre.
But talk to your neighbours, share compost and vegetables now in case of needing to share much more one day.
ಚಿರಾಗ್ 🌹✊🏾Ⓥ🌱🇵🇸 (he/him)@jwildeboer Eventually planning on getting this system so we can grow some of our own food at home, even in a small space:
Tower Garden Aeroponic Growing
From perfect peas to gorgeous greens and healthy herbs, Tower Garden aeroponic vertical grow system helps you easily grow fresh, clean, great tasting produce. Indoors. Outdoors. All year round. Growing your own food means having delicious produce at your fingertips. Tower Garden is sustainable soil free & space saving.